The Esquire/ESPN E:60 Little-Big Story of the Week:Steve Smith Has Gone to Carolina in His Mind

As part of a collaboration with ESPN, Esquire.com's The Culture Blog will be previewing a new episode of the Worldwide Leader's award-winning news-magazine show, E:60, each week throughout the NFL season. For Tuesday night's episode (airing at 7 Eastern), Chris Connelly follows Panthers receiver Steve Smith through his old South Central Los Angeles neighborhood to find out how he (maybe) got his speed ("He was biking past his friend's house when a doberman pincher named Tootsie leapt the fence and began chasing him. He dropped the bike and started running as fast as possible") to his charity work. But, before that, he addresses Smith's putting his Charlotte house on sale in 2010 and whether he's still happy in Carolina. Herewith, more on that, in Connelly's own words. —Eds.

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We sort of forgot the other quarterbacks who were in Carolina before Cam Newton, including Jimmy Claussen. None of us remember, and if you're Steve Smith, you're wondering, What's happening to my career? I had this thing going with Jake Delhomme — and now...

Which, for some, raises the question: Is Steve Smith happy in Carolina? It's interesting because everyone jumped on Steve this year after confronting Cam Newton after the Giants loss, but especially in 2010 for putting his house on the market. The first question I asked him was, "Steve, could you ever imagine having a house like this?" And he said, "It's a rental." He downsized specifically and I asked why. He said, There are ways me and my family can spend time by ourselves in that other house. In this house, it makes us closer together, and that's what I want. I want us to see one another all the time. I don't want anyone to feel lost.

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This was a topic of some intensity for him. The feeling that his family is a force of stability — that his children are watching the things that he says on the field, that he's accountable to his wife for his behavior at the end of games — matters to him. And these things are very contrary to the image that we have of Steve Smith, a guy who was very prone to outbursts and altercations, even with teammates. But they really resonate now — there are moments of great pride.

He likes it in Charlotte. He likes the schools his kids are in and being a part of that community. He also has faith in Cam, despite the fact that they're a young and emotionally volatile team. There will be growing pains, but nobody has gone through adversity quite like Steve Smith has. So when he speaks about how to get through something like that, he's probably worth listening to.